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Wednesday, August 5, 2009

MOBILE COMICS

By Kevin HodgsonStaff Writer

It was only a matter of time, really, before someone realized that there might be a viable market for comics on mobile digital devices. News came out – announced at the ComicCon Convention in San Diego – of one application now available through iTunes App Store that allows a reader to download and read comics on the small screen.

I gave ComiXology a try this week and at first glance, I was pretty impressed. You need to first sign up at the website of ComiXology and then download the application for ComiXology onto your iPhone or iTouch. There is a free version of the app and one for 99 cents, which has more options for viewing and storing comics.

Right now, there are a lot of free comics available and then if you want more of that series, it costs 99 cents.

One of the drawbacks, of course, is that the screen is small, so comics with a lot of text probably won't be that effective. I found myself squinting to read a few lines of dialogue here and there. It is true that with the Apple devices, you can just use your fingers to enlarge an area on the screen (the beauty of the touch), but then you lose the visual of the page. I wonder if the new eReader now being developed by Apple (and slated for release this year) will make this complaint moot.

Still, for most of the comics I read on my iTouch, the shift through the narrative was pretty seamless. A tap of the finger and I was on the next frame, and sometimes the developers realized the possibilities, bringing me in on a close-up of a character's face or hands or an object of importance before panning back across the wider image. You can tell that the developers are still thinking of ways the new medium (the small screen) can be used with comics. The app even comes with a comic tutorial for how to read a comic on your device.

The offerings are conveniently sorted by title, author, genre, popularity and other options that a digital archive can provide.

I started to read two books: CLOCKWORK GIRL by Kevin Hanna, Sean O'Reilly and Grant Bond; and JAM IN THE BAND by Robin Enrico. The first was a comic about a place where inventors compete to show off their talents and one creates a robotic girl. The second is the start of a graphic novel about an all-girl rock band trying to make it to the top. I thought JAM IN THE BAND was more effective as it mixed black and white drawings and shifting visual narratives. CLOCKWORK GIRL, though, has a great storyline going already.

One bonus: no advertising pages. It's just pure story and art.

Needless to say, I was soon clicking "purchase" for the next chapters in both and within seconds, I had more of each story to read. The mobile device gives an immediacy to purchasing, although you lose the feel of a comic store adventure. You don't yet have the ability to stumble across an interesting title, or get advice from the comic book expert behind the counter, or run into an old friend thumbing their way through a new graphic novel.

As I was taking in CLOCKWORK GIRL and JAM IN THE BAND, I was pondering the potential for the classroom. More and more teachers are foregoing desktop and laptop computers and moving towards class sets of mobile devices, such as the iTouch. They see value in the lower costs and Apps such as GPS, texting and others might engage students in new ways (it's too new to say, really).

While many of the comic offerings on ComiXology are geared for adults (and you need to state that you are older than 17 when you sign up), the potential for students reading comics and graphic novels, and then writing reviews are certainly there. My guess is that other Apps for comics and graphic novels will be on the way in the future.

I'm not so sure how this particular comic App helps from the writing standpoint (other than posting reviews of books), but my guess is that with time more and more applications for mobile devices will gear towards user-generated content and wouldn't it be cool to have students write and create their own comics for mobile devices?

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About TGC

The Graphic Classroom is a resource for teachers and librarians to help them stock high quality, educational-worthy, graphic novels and comics in their classroom or school library. I read and review every graphic novel or comic on this blog and give it a rating as to appropriateness for the classroom.

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Would you like your comic or graphic novel reviewed here at THE GRAPHIC CLASSROOM? You can do so in two ways, one of which is guaranteed and the other is not:

1. Send me a copy of the comic or graphic novel. I will read it and review it as soon as possible. You can email me privately and I will give you my mailing address. abikerbard@mac.com

2. You can simply tell me about your creation.

If you send me a copy, then I will review your submission. I will be honest and fair and do my best to get your book reviewed in a timely manner. I am a full time graduate student, so my time is limited. If I receive a lot of books, then I will put them on a first-come, first-reviewed list and do the best I can.

If you cannot or will not send me a media copy of your book, then you can just request that I review it. My money is short, as I am going to school and not working, so you are depending on my ability to afford your book. There is no guarantee that I will get to your work nor any guarantee that I will even review it. If I can afford it and have time to read it, then I will most certainly review it. It's all about the teachers, librarians and kids.

Reviews are never based on free media copies. I am writing my Master's Thesis on the subject of comics in the classroom, so this is important to me. I am committed to this and I take reviews very seriously. I do not rip into books in order to get readership. I will have a critical eye, but I am also excited about helping teachers find great books for the classroom.

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About The Editor

My name is Chris Wilson. My first name is Jack, which is why you see it on the posts, but I usually go by my middle name: Chris. Having worked as the Managing Editor for a weekly newspaper then as the Director of a non-profit for people with disabilities, I have gone back to school. I am now a full time graduate student in the college of education at Missouri State University. I am getting my Masters of Science in Education – Elementary Education.

I know that reading is a problem for many students today. I feel strongly that comics and graphic novels can be one way that we can combat this problem. Graphics novels should be in every public school library and classroom library. That is why I am choosing to write my thesis on using comics and graphic novels in the elementary classroom.

Email Meabikerbard@mac.com

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Disclaimer

Some comic literature is not appropriate for every classroom, or every community. Some are not appropriate for any classroom. You need to review any piece of comic literature for yourself and determine if it is appropriate for your grade, class, curriculum, goals, school and community.